License Plate Bird House
Herm Fitz Style
Directions for Use
This Bird House, with a 1 ½" diameter entrance hole, is
designed for swallows or Western bluebirds, although winter wrens
have successfully nested in it. It is custom made so that the
license plate just fits as the roof. A convenient dowel perch is
on the front just below the entrance hole, and just inside, a
little below the entrance hole is a small shelf perch so that the
young birds may sit and look out while they are growing, waiting
to fledge.
Hanging Your License Plate Bird House
The house may be hung on a branch in a tree simply by inserting
one end of the specially bent copper wire into the small hole at
the peak of the back side, then bringing the copper wire over the
branch, and inserting the other end of the copper wire into the
corresponding hole at the peak of the front side. That's all
there is to it!
Your house should be hung facing an open meadow or pasture. If
you want to attract swallows, hang your house about 12 feet off
the ground, or even higher. But if you would like to attract
Western bluebirds, you should hang your house maybe 6 feet off the
ground, as they seem to like their houses a bit lower. Winter
wrens prefer deep woods, so if you have a shady forest, hang your
house just about anywhere and you may get some winter wrens.
Care, Cleaning, and Storage of Your License Plate Bird House
Your license plate bird house should be cleaned following each
nesting season to get it ready for the next spring. Simply take
down your house by pulling the copper wire out of the front peak
hole and lifting the wire over the branch. Then, using a ¼"
socket, box end wrench or small crescent wrench, remove the 4
roofing screws. This allows you to lift off the license plate
roof. Remember which way it was put on, as the four holes may not
be exactly spaced to allow both possible orientations of the
plate.
Clean out the house and throw away the old nest and all debris -
feathers, poop, sticks, etc. Wash the house with soapy water and
dry thoroughly. Spray the inside with WD-40, especially the
cracks and seams. This will keep tiny bird parasites away. Put
cedar shavings or swadust in the bottom about ½" deep as a
start for the next nest. Then hang your house in a warm, dry
place for the winter. Be sure to get your house hung out in
spring before the birds arrive back from their wintering place -
usually in March.
An alternative: after cleaning, hang it back out in the tree and
some birds may find it a handy place to roost during the cold
times of winter.
Eric D. Hendrickson
Last modified: Mon Feb 4 09:18:05 CST 2002